Tourism Plummets: Cuba Faces Worst Year Since Record-Keeping Began

Official statistics for the end of September 2025 reveal a drastic decline in international tourism to Cuba, with a 20.5% drop in visitor numbers compared to the same period in 2024.

Between January and September, the island welcomed only 1,366,720 foreign tourists, which is 352,289 fewer than the previous year, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

Economist Pedro Monreal shared the official report on his X account (formerly Twitter), describing the figures as indicative of the "severity of the tourism crisis." He highlighted that neither new flight routes nor the regime's promotional campaigns have succeeded in reversing the downward trend.

"The official data on tourists visiting Cuba in the first nine months of the year has been released, confirming the severity of the tourism crisis," Monreal noted, emphasizing the 20.5% drop in total visitors compared to 2024.

According to the ONEI, by September, a total of 1,960,713 travelers were recorded, including Cuban residents abroad, which is just 85.2% of the previous year's total. The decline is particularly stark given that 2024 already had low figures, far below pre-pandemic levels.

Declining Source Markets

The report indicates setbacks across nearly all source markets. Canada, traditionally Cuba's top tourist market, sent 559,715 visitors, down 19.5% from 2024. The Cuban expatriate community, the second-largest source, saw a decline of 20.7%, with only 177,823 visitors.

The most significant contraction was from Russia, which dropped from 141,612 tourists to 88,879, marking a 37.2% decrease.

Monreal criticized the contrast between reality and official propaganda, which recently celebrated the launch of a new flight route between St. Petersburg and Varadero as a "strategic opportunity for the Russian market."

"In fact, of the four main sources, Russia registered the largest drop from January to September 2025 (-37.2%)," the economist warned.

European Markets in Decline

Other European markets also show signs of decline. Spain fell by 27%, France by 24%, and Germany plunged over 40%, with only 26,735 visitors compared to 47,323 last year.

Hotel occupancy remains at minimal levels—around 25% in the first half of the year—while the sector's profitability continues to fall. Tourism, considered by the regime as one of the primary sources of foreign revenue, remains far from official targets, which projected 2.7 million visitors for this year.

Structural Challenges Beyond Temporary Setbacks

Experts agree that the crisis in Cuban tourism stems not from temporary factors but structural issues. Prolonged blackouts, shortages of basic supplies, poor infrastructure, and connectivity problems are among the obstacles deterring visitors.

Moreover, Cuba's loss of competitiveness compared to other Caribbean destinations—such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico, or Jamaica—is increasingly evident. These countries have recovered and surpassed pre-pandemic levels thanks to incentive policies, hotel modernization, and air connectivity, while Cuba has lagged behind in all these areas.

Paradoxically, despite the slump, the Cuban regime continues to prioritize the construction of luxury hotels instead of allocating resources to basic infrastructure or essential social sectors.

Behind this policy is GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), the military conglomerate that controls much of the tourism and investment sectors, including hotel, real estate, and financial chains.

Official data indicates that over 40% of state investment remains concentrated in tourism, even as the country faces one of its most severe economic and energy crises in recent history.

This focus suggests that tourism—rather than being a genuine revenue source—has become a power priority for the military elites who dominate the economy, while the population faces blackouts, shortages, and collapsing public services.

Bleak Outlook for Cuban Tourism

The balance as of September clearly shows that Cuban tourism continues its downward spiral, with no signs of short-term recovery. The most optimistic projections suggest a 2025 close with around 1.8 million visitors, far below government expectations and the 4.2 million the country received before the pandemic.

While the official narrative insists on portraying each flight or agreement as an achievement, the numbers—and the reality on the streets, with blackouts, shortages, and massive emigration—reveal that tourism in Cuba is experiencing a profound and sustained decline, mirroring the structural crisis affecting the entire national economy.